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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Well after four days of raging fever and non-stop coughing, it looks like I’m going to make it.

I guess I am the perfect poster child for why you should get the flu shot,

I won’t risk it next year, that’s for sure.

I tell you what, laying in bed sick all these days it has give me plenty of time to think.

Now for some that could be a good thing, but for me who has a gypsy soul,

it could spell trouble.

That right in my stages of fever pitch delirium

wander lust set in and I began to wonder,

“what if” or “just maybe”.

What if I just let my gypsy loose, let her free,

let her follow her dreams for a change, just where would she take me?

Well I’ll tell you where she’d take me,

“Oregon”!!

That’s right this little gypsy as always dreamed of living in Oregon,

ever since she was ten years old and went there on a family vacation.

Through all her years and many travels none have called to her more
than the forests and ocean of Oregon.

All she needs to do is hitch up her wagon, or in this case her 1968 Ideal, and hit the road.

She’s already got a beautiful little lot all picked out,
it located on the Siletz River, just outside of Lincoln Oregon.

Sure it would mean selling everything that couldn’t fit into the back of a pickup truck and the trailer. (fortunately the Harley fits just right in the pickup bed)

Our cat Smokey
could ride up front with Ray and I,
and our two bulldogs,
Meatball and LuLu could ride next to the Harley.

That’s it;
this gypsy is ready to roll!!

Crazy you my say, but if not now when?

When is it OK to be a little or a lot crazy and chase after your dreams?
My baby is going to be 22 years old this April,
not much of a baby anymore; and my other two children,
my grandson and son-in-law are already living in Oregon.

I’m going to be 47 years old this July, again I ask you
“if not now, when?”

It’s not this gypsy’s dream to live in this little trailer forever,
only while building her dream home.

A single level Timber Home, no more than 2000 sq ft,
two bedrooms, two and a half baths and a back deck over looking the river.

This little beauty is only 1580 sq. ft.

Wow, what a dream!!!

But alas after several more Advil the fever has broke and sanity is starting to set in.

Time to rein in my little gypsy,
get out of bed take a shower,
get dressed and join the land of the living once more.

But even as I dry my hair and say hello to a new day,
there’s still a little gypsy inside of me that’s whispering,
“just maybe”.

Can't you just see me sitting on the back porch,
sipping a warm cup of tea,
I know I sure can!!
I also wanted to share with you my latest creation.
I needed a break from the sick bed and so I came upstairs
picked up my paint brush and this is what I came up with.
Enjoy!!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Well it’s 4:00 in the morning and I’m not sleeping, I have been lying here for the last hour, just thinking, not sleeping. My brain wont shut down long enough for me to get some rest. I’ve a lot on my mine as of late regarding dreams and sacrifice, and when to say uncle.

It’s been a year to the week since I decided to follow my dream of being an Artist.

I have to admit it’s been an amazing time in my life. A time of expression and freedom, but of sacrifice as well.

When I walked, or should I say ran away from the confines of the nine to five, I knew I would be trading some privileges for others.

My lack of income was one of the hardest factors to factor in my new life style.

I could no longer afford the luxury of excess, which meant my car had to go, so I let it go.

There would be no more whimsy purchases like cute cowboy boots, or that amazing jacket

that I just have to have.

I’ve learned there is no such thing as "have to have"

unless it’s more paints.

I traded my luxuries for my dreams.

In this last year I have met the most amazing group of people,

I have become a member of a tribe, a tribe of dreamers and creators.

I guess that’s why I’m not sleeping; I don’t want to give this all up,

but I feel like I’m at another crossroads.

I’ve given this “full time artist thing” a year of my life, as well as a year of my family’s life.

And let me tell you my family has been great, they are my biggest fans.

But hard cold reality is that dreams don’t pay the bills; food, heat, and power are not luxuries.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not destitute by any means, although things have gotten tight over the winter. This time of the year is always slow in my husbands business, but as spring approaches, we have always been able to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I guess this one-year mark has hit me pretty hard. I don’t know what I expected to happen when I started on this journey. I guess I just thought I’d be further along at this point.

I’ve had such great success in selling my art when I’ve been able to get my work out there in an Art Festival setting. But the reality of that is that these festivals are not free and it seems I’m only making enough money to pay for supplies and the next festival.

I had hoped to have some kind of a licensing deal by now, and even though I have sent out over fifty art submissions, I’ve only received rejections so far.

Maybe I need to send out a hundred more?

When I started this journey it was not about the money, it was about how my art made me feel and how it touched others, that’s one thing I will never sacrifice, not for any amount of luxury.

I guess at this point I need to readjust, revaluate, revisit the reasons why I started on this journey in the first place.

I guess right now I just feel like an unfinished painting,
just waiting for the creator to finish.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

It's funny when I was a kid I loved doing "dot to dot's"/"connect the dots", I was amazing at it. I could always look at all those dots and see the picture before I even started.

So when someone tells you, "all you need to get by in this world, you learned in kindergarten", well maybe there's some truth to that statement.

Because today I looked at all those dream dots of mine, and they all started coming together to make an amazing picture.

As you may know I have been taking an e-course, "Hello Soul, Hello Business", presented by Kelly Rae Roberts and Beth Nicholls. This class has been helping me think outside of the box. It's helping me reinvent the wheel, and I tell you what, I am painting my wheel pink with white poke a dots!!!

It's so rejuvenating to my soul
a fresh way of looking at
CREATING and SHARING and LEARNING, oh my!!

All this creative buzz has got me to thinking,

"WHAT IF"

So let me present to you some background on my what if idea:

At the last Art Festival I participated in I tried something a little new.

I offered to do personalized paintings for my customers,

I got three orders!!

Wow!!

One of the first one's I did was for a sweet lady named Suzie.
She gave me a picture of her daughter and a list of her
favorite things, as well as some of her
daughters original art work, and this is what I came
up with:

If you look in the left hand corner, you'll see some of her daughters art
work that I attached to the picture.
I named this picture:
"Sweet Tart"
That is the nick name Suzie has for her daughter.
Suzie loved the picture!!
I also painted a picture as a "Thank You", for one of my
favorite Artist.
Laurie Grimshaw-Coxhttp://epiphaniesofanartgirl.blogspot.com/
She's such a great lady and teacher.

This is my interpretation of Laurie

I think she looks great in angel wings!!!

Just a couple of weeks ago a friend contacted me on facebook.
She had seen my work, and wanted me to paint a picture of each of her daughter.

Jordan the oldest is turning "16" and Alexa is having a birthday in May.

This one is for Alexa's May birthday:

This one is still a work in progress, it needs some finishing touches.

It's not due till May, so I still have time to finish.

I've even had a special requests to paint a couple of

Trailers.

Yes, I said "Trailers"

As you know I love to paint

"Trailers"

Here's just a couple I did:

So when my dear sweet friend, Diane Cook saw then

she contacted me with a special request.

To paint her a picture of her trailer.

So that's just what I did, she sent me a picture and a few

requests, like flamingos and the

"Hot Springs or Bust" saying.

This is what I came up with:

She loved it so much, she ordered one for her brother for Christmas.

I can't tell you how flattering it is to have an amazing Artist like Diane Cook,